The best months for Baku are May, early June, and September into mid-October — warm but not punishing, with long days and mild evenings. Summers can be brutal: temperatures regularly push past forty degrees, and the famous Baku wind, which blows almost constantly from the north, brings dust as often as relief. Air conditioning in restaurants and hotels is universal but cold winds off the Caspian can make even hot days unpleasant near the seafront.
Winters are not as harsh as Tbilisi or Yerevan further inland — daytime temperatures in January usually sit just above freezing — but the wind makes the city feel colder than the numbers suggest. Rain is rare year-round; Baku is one of the drier capitals in Europe.
The biggest annual events are the Novruz spring festival (around 20–21 March), with public bonfires and rituals across the city, and the Grand Prix in June, when central streets close for the Formula 1 race and prices spike. Eurovision and major sporting events occasionally land here too — check the calendar before booking peak-season trips.